U.S. patent application Ser. No. 156,124, filed 16 Feb., 1988, of Linda S. Heath for "Method of Etching Titanium Diboride" and assigned to a common assignee and with which this application is copending describes and claims a method of etching titanium diboride with a dry etch.
Zirconium diboride, like titanium diboride, TiB.sub.2, has become of interest in laboratory research because of its resistance to change or degradation at high temperatures. However, zirconium diboride does exhibit other properties that differ significantly from the properties of titanium diboride. That is, ZrB.sub.2 is twice as electrically conductive as TiB.sub.2. Moreover, the melting point of ZrB.sub.2 is 3245.degree. C. as compared to 2980.degree. C., the melting point of TiB.sub.2. The higher melting point makes ZrBhd more resistant to changes with heat. Then too, ZrB.sub.2 is less porous than TiB.sub.2.
One of the difficulties involved with working with ZrB.sub.2 is that because of its resistance to attack, it is difficult to pattern. In fact, no wet etches have been available to carry out such patterning.